Marshal Bruce “Eminem” Mathers was born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is the only child of Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. Eminem is of English, German, Scottish and Swiss descent. Debbie was 14 when she met 18-year-old Bruce at age 17, she nearly died during her 73-hour labor. Eminem’s parents were in a band called Daddy Warbucks, playing in Ramada Inns along the Dakotas-Montana border before their separation.